Browse the Helen Keller Archive

The Helen Keller Archive is organized and arranged by the naturally occurring groups of materials that make up the collection—these are called “series”. The visitor can either browse by these series, or choose to browse by an extensive list of subjects.

Illustrating the Power of the Browse Function

The Browse by Series function allows you to take a virtual walk through the archive as if you were there physically. You can open a box, a folder, and an item as if you were in the archive exploring a specific shelf (series) of materials. For instance, are you looking for letters written to and from Helen Keller in her work as an advocate for equal access to literature for those with vision loss? Here’s a Browse by Series function that you can do:

One of the items found is a letter written on March 3, 1931 from Congresswoman Ruth Pratt to Helen Keller thanking Keller for a congratulatory telegram on the passing of a bill to provide library books in braille.

The visitor can also Browse by Subject. Here you can explore the topics covered in the Helen Keller Archive using Library of Congress subject headings, as if you were flipping through an old card catalog! Do you want to learn about the dogs Helen had as pets throughout her life? Here’s a Browse by Subject function that you can do:

One of the items found is a photograph of Helen Keller with a large dog (possibly Sieglinde), circa 1925.

A third browsing option is to Browse by Tags. "Tags" are topics that may not correspond easily to Library of Congress subjects, that the archive administrators have added to create an additional way of browsing the Helen Keller collection. For example, if you were working on a National History Day project, you could browse the "Taking a Stand: National History Day 2017" tag for materials that relate to that year's theme.

Our Mission

The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to create a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired. We mobilize leaders, advance understanding, and champion impactful policies and practices using research and data.